


Final Fantasy VIII ~~~afterthought~~~ The misadventures of post-ending Squall and Company

by evaricious



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alcohol Is Consumed, F/M, Irvine gets an honourable mention, Mostly Fluff, Post-Ending, Xu briefly appears, implied past Seifer/Quistis, started as crack and turned into fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8452345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evaricious/pseuds/evaricious
Summary: What happens after the happily ever after? The Sorceress is defeated but there's still a job to do for SeeD. Follow Squall and the idiots that call themselves his friends as they fulfill their mission and chase their own happily ever afters.**Happily ever afters not guaranteed





	

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: this is not meant to be taken seriously. I am taking liberties with characters and going majorly off-script. All in the name of fun! As always, Final Fantasy VIII is the intellectual property of its creators and owned by Square Enix. The only thing I gain from this story is the satisfaction of posting.

"Quit your pouting, lover-boy, we've got a job."

  
Quistis had burst into the SeeD lounge, laying a file on the desk on which Squall rested his booted feet. She eyed his mopey expression and shook her head.

"Not in the mood." was his reply, and he shut his eyes, reclining in the biggest, best office chair he always managed to claim, and ignoring the giggle from Selphie.

  
The brown-haired air-head was sitting on the floor, surrounded by cut up magazines and had the relaxed expression of one high on glue stick fumes.

  
Quistis turned to lean against the desk, an inner debate raging whether it would be worth it to push their fearless leader so he toppled to the floor.

  
Maturity and a sense of professionalism won out, narrowly, and she settled for pushing his feet off the desk, causing Squall to snap upright in the expensive swivel chair.

"Dammit woman, it's probably nothing you can't handle, let me sleep."

His tone was annoyed, but his eye had fallen on the open file, and he reached for it, pulling the case report closer to read. His former instructor sighed dramatically.  
She knew despite his protests he wouldn't be able to resist. He hated having nothing to do. For all his emo acting, he was actually a bit of a violent vigilante.

Selphie enquired about the job, and Quistis gave her the outline.

"A new GF has popped up just outside of Timber. It's causing a bit of trouble for the locals and its too powerful for our students."

She had wondered over to the desk she liked to claim; it was the perfect distance from the window, with a view of the outside as well as the door.  
She sat in the cheap office chair at her desk and winced as it squeaked, shooting Squall a dirty look, but continued in her calm voice.

"So we're setting out tomorrow to go contain it."

"Yay!" Selphie jumped to her feet, scattering her magazine cuttings of musicians and skipping over to peek around Squall's shoulder.

"Sounds fun!"

Squall noticed there were four tickets stapled to the inside of the file. Maybe they were sending some cadets with him and Quistis, y'know, for training. Surely they didn't think  
it warranted four SeeDs...

"Who's going?" he asked, feeling his heart sink as he looked over at Quistis. She was tapping a rolled up sheet of paper idling against her cheek. No doubt it was the team member  
roster missing from the file.

He knew he was right as she unfurled it like a scroll, clearing her throat and reading aloud:

"Squall Leonhart as team leader. Quistis Trepe, supervisor."

She paused to grin.

"With supporting officers Selphie Tilmitt and Zell Dincht."

Squall groaned as Selphie hugged the back of his chair. She had finally learnt to direct her friendly overtures away from the sullen teen, but Squall frowned anyway.

"Do we really need Zell?" His frown deepened as Selphie began to swing his chair.

"Come to think of it, do we really need Selphie?"

"Hey!" She pouted, but then caught sight of the tickets.

"We get to go by train!"

Squall sighed heavily and gave up. Why did he even bother? He would never be free from these idiots. He just hoped they all listened this time and kept out of trouble.  
He didn't want to write another incident report like the one from Galbadia.

He was distracted by the door opening again, this time admitting Rinoa, who greeted the girls warmly before turning her attention to her friend-who-was-a-boy Squall.

"I've come to take you to lunch." She announced, hands on her hips and looking for all the world like she was declaring war.

"Come on, or they'll sell out before we get there."

Squall grunted a reply, but a pink tinge rose in his cheeks. He stood abrupty, slamming his hands flat on the desk, and informed his collegues that if he was required, he would be in the Cafeteria. Noticing his teammates exchanging glances, he scowled at them.

"Meet here for a full briefing at 1600." and with that he followed Rinoa from the room, his blush deepening when he heard the girls erupting into giggles just before he  
slammed the door shut.

Seemingly oblivious to the scene she had created, Rinoa made cheerful small talk as she walked with Squall, who listened and nodded. Once they were alone in the elevator, she fell eerily silent, and Squall stood tapping his foot, arms crossed and avoiding her gaze until the doors pinged open again.

Lunchtime at the Cafeteria is always a battlefield. Squall would have preferred an honest fight over the social minefield that was a room of talkative SeeDs and students. Standing in the entrance way, Squall observed the crush of people vying for the attention of the lunch lady. Rinoa took note of his drooping shoulders and the look of controlled horror on his face, and told him to go sit down.

"I'll get the hotdogs."

Her reward was a flicker of a grateful smile before he fled to a table hidden away in the corner.

As Rinoa battled her way to the front, she reflected how strange it was that Squall, probably the bravest person she knew, could be rendered stationary with fright when confronted by a crowded cafeteria.

Two hotdogs later, Rinoa was gliding towards their table when she spotted Squall gruffly refusing a card game with a terribly excited Xu.

"Come on, quick game!" She was pleading, already holding her hand and bouncing, glancing between her cards and Squall's face.

Squall looked relieved when as he saw Rinoa approaching.

"Not now Xu, my lunch is here."

She looked crestfallen. "Maybe later then?" She started hopefully, before spotting the disciplinary committee walking towards the exit.

"Seifer! How 'bout a quick game?" She darted off, chasing a terrified looking Seifer, and Rinoa laughed as she sat down.

They ate, and Rinoa tried to make conversation while Squall frowned at the table, his hotdog, and anyone who approached them.

"So what's Selphie all excited about?" Rinoa asked, after exhausting several topic starters.

"New mission. To Timber. Trains are involved." He replied briefly, then mentally face palmed as he saw Rinoa perk up with interest. She must be thinking about his first mission  
to assist her and the Forest Owls.

"I could come with you!"

Yep, she was definitely thinking about that mission.

Squall shook his head.

"No. It's too dangerous."

Rinoa pouted at him.

"I'll be fine, I would just be travelling with you. You can do the dangerous stuff and I'll wait somewhere safe."

Squall frowned hard, hoping to hide how much he liked that idea. He had managed to come out of his shell and kiss her at the victory celebration, and then later there had been The Incident that they didn’t talk about. Try as he might, he just wasn't comfortable showing his feelings for the comet he had strapped himself to. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed spending time with her. Mostly. He was saved from replying by the arrival of Zell, who plonked himself down at their table, clutching a drink but sans hotdog.

"Hi Zell!" Rinoa greeted, while Squall quickly shoved in the last bite of his hotdog.

"Hey guys." Zell slurped at his milkshake, eyeing the remainder of Rinoa's hotdog.

"Heard about our new mission?" Squall asked, distracting the blond long enough for Rinoa to eat her last few bites.

"Yeah, just came from the Lounge."

Rinoa stood, giving Squall a pat on the shoulder and excused herself, announcing she had "stuff" to take care of. They waved to her and she quickly disappeared from view.

"We'll head out tomorrow at 0700. Make sure you're at the briefing today at 1600." Squall told him, and started to wind his way through the tables to the exit. He was accosted outside the elevator by Xu again ("Just one game, it'll only take a minute!"/"Sorry, I don't have my cards on me") and she gave up when the elevator arrived.

Alighting from the elevator, he was crossing the walkway and dodging another card fanatic when he heard Rinoa's voice from the corridor beyond. He slowed his steps as he approached the corner, and heard her tell someone,

"Great! Don't forget to pack, I'll see you tomorrow!~"

Their footsteps continued down the hall, and as he rounded the corner, he saw both the Lounge door and a classroom door closing. So Rinoa had been talking to a student.

 

"If you keep frowning like that you'll get wrinkles." Squall's permanent scowl deepened as Rinoa laughed at him. Quistis was sitting at the desk, reading a report and pointedly ignoring them.

 _'Quistis has the right idea'_ Squall thought, slouching over his desk and pulling the mission file towards him to read again.

There was no way he was asking her about the conversation he had overheard, but maybe if he just sat here ignoring her she'd break down and tell him.

He didn't see her roll her eyes at him before climbing onto the sofa. She peered over the back of the lounge, watching him before asking,

  
"Whatcha readin'?"

  
He dropped the file dramatically to stare levelly at her.

  
"Mission briefing." he told her, before picking it back up and pointedly continuing to read.

  
"Nice weather in Timber this time of year." was her reply, turning and flopping back into the sofa upholstery, disappearing from his view.

Squall stared at the back of the sofa. He ignored the feeling Rinoa on the sofa was causing and tried to focus on thinking. There was a loop playing in his head of Rinoa's voice saying 'I could come with you', 'don't forget to pack', 'see you tomorrow'.

  
"You're not coming with us." He said firmly, and it was 50% for Rinoa's benefit, 50% prayer. But to his surprise she agreed.

  
"I know. I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"You can't because I'm telling you, you can't." he replied, looking back at his file and wondering what this niggling feeling was. It felt like he had lost an argument. That couldn't be right.

He looked up again.

"Why can't you come with us?"

Her face appeared again, and she was grinning triumphantly.

"Because I'm going on holiday, silly!"

Squall felt a headache forming. He really did frown too much.

"You didn't tell me you were going on a holiday."

"That's because I've only just decided!" she announced, and he saw Quistis shoot him A Look. He had no idea what could cause her to look so distressed. Maybe she was having personal issues again? He hoped she'd talk to someone else about it this time.

"Oh." was what he said, followed by "Where are you going?"

"Timber." came her airy reply, and as the ache behind his eyes blossomed into a full-on headache, he understood Quistis' look. She wasn't worried about herself. She was worried about him.

"No." He said shortly, but she had jumped up and was skipping over to the door.

"Don't be silly, it's all been arranged. I'm going to have a little break while you're on your mission, that's all."

Squall stood quickly, banging his knee on the desk in the process.

"No! You can't go alone, it's dangerous."

She smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, I'm not going alone. I asked Seifer to go with me."

And with that, she disappeared out the door, leaving a red-faced Squall clutching his injured knee and swearing while Quistis furiously pretended to be deaf.

 

Fourty minutes later Squall was lurking in the corridor outside the classrooms, waiting for classes to finish. He had briefly discussed Rinoa's plan with Quistis, and she had been downright unhelpful.

  
He had asked her to explain to Rinoa that she was being childish and that she should wait at Garden in safety, and that it was stupid to go gallivanting across the world with a loose cannon, but she had shrugged and said something about unspoken rivalries and keeping your enemies close blah, blah, blah.

He'd said he knew Seifer was his enemy but having him follow them to Timber was unnecessary and he'd feel much better miles away from the git.

The blonde woman had shaken her head, called him blind and stupid, and left in a huff. Well. Just more proof that women were impossible to comprehend and he was nuts for trying.

He knew it was pointless arguing with Rinoa, he'd tried in the past. The most likely way to prevent her from going was to intimidate Seifer into backing out of their little escapade.  
Which is why he found himself standing in the hall, leaning awkwardly against the wall and frowning at an inspirational poster.

Finally the sound of thirty chairs scraping reached his ears, and students began pouring out of the classrooms.

"Seifer! C’mere a minute." Squall called to the blond boy, gesturing with a gloved hand.

He sauntered over, lackeys in tow and with an arrogant smirk plastered on his face.

"Yes, _commander_?" he managed to make the title sound sarcastic, and Squall groaned internally. Why was Seifer always such a dick?

"Find Rinoa and tell her you're not going to Timber."

Seifer's smirking intensified.

  
"Why would I do that?" he drawled, and Raijin and Fujin chuckled behind him.

"I'm quite looking forward to my date to tomorrow."

Squall grit his teeth.

"It's not a date."

"You know what, you're right. We are staying overnight, after all." Seifer was enjoying this far too much.

"What would you call that? A romantic getaway?"

When had Squall's hands balled into fists? Must. Resist. Urge. To. Punch. Seifer's. Smug. Face.

"Just tell her it’s off. Cancelled. She's not going."

"Sorry, dear commander, but that's not happening. See you on the train."

And with that, he fluttered his fingers at a stony-faced Squall, leaving him feeling like he'd lost control of his life.

Squall was the first to arrive in the parking lot, which was not surprising. Quistis turned up next, and they discussed the plan they had decided on at the briefing yesterday while waiting for the rest of the team to show.

With ten minutes to go, Squall heard Seifer approach, talking loudly about the car he had booked to travel to Balamb Station. He looked over to see Seifer escorting Rinoa, carrying a small gear bag and pulling Rinoa's blue wheeled suitcase. Fujin and Raijin were not with them. Rinoa caught his eye and waved cheerfully.

"See you guys on the train!" she called, before Seifer held open the passenger door for her. He shut it behind her, shooting Squall a triumphant look over the sports car roof.

  
"Try not to interrupt our date, _commander_."

The murderous feeling gripping Squall must have shown on his face, as Seifer laughed and Quistis started chanting " _ignore him_ " in his ear.

The interloper's car disappeared up the ramp just as Selphie and Zell appeared. Hurrying them into the transport, Squall shoved it into gear and took off after them.

  
It was a short but harrowing journey to Balamb. Squall red-lined the transport to try to catch up to the sporty car, but it did little good: it was not built for speed.

By the time they arrived, Seifer's borrowed vehicle was parked and empty, and Squall's attention was clearly not focused on the job as he craned his neck, searching for a white coat and a blue skirt in the crowded station.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed let me know. I have a few chapters written and waiting editing.


End file.
